Stabilizer Makes For Safer Roadside Mowing

Stabilizer makes for Safer Roadside Mowing TRACTORS Accessories 10-4-6 John Werries, Chapin, Ill. safely mows ditch banks with as much as 45? slope, thanks to a home-made stabilizer mounted on one side of the tractor. Werries, who uses a 7-ft. center-lift, 3 pt. rotary mower, "borrowed" most of the components from other equipment he already had on the farm. The mounting bracket was originally built for saddle tanks for his Deere tractor. He had the 32-in. stroke hydraulic cylinder on hand, and borrowed the stabilizer wheel from his Deere rotary hoe. "All I had to buy was about 6 ft. of 4-by-4 in. steel tubing and some flat iron," says Werries. The stabilizer extends out about 8 ft. and is hinged to go from vertical to straight out. To compensate for varying degrees of slope, the operator adjusts the stabilizer right from the tractor seat via a hydraulic lever. While the device enables Werries to mow slopes that he wouldn't otherwise attempt to mow, "steep-bank mowing is still the kind of job that should be reserved for an experienced driver and not something to leave to a youngster," he cautions.

To read the rest of this story, download this issue below or click here to register with your account number.